Sponsor Licence

A Sponsor Licence enables a UK employer to sponsor skilled migrants to work for them in the UK under Tier 2 of the Points Based System. An employing entity which does not have a Sponsor Licence will be unable to sponsor migrant workers.

Tier 2 is the replacement to the work permit scheme and only employers with a Sponsor Licence, issued by the UK Border Agency upon application and approval, will be able to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship to the prospective employee or employee in an overseas branch.

Civil Penalty Objection/Corporate Reputation Preservation

A UK entity found to be employing migrant workers illegally may be subject to a civil penalty of up to £10,000 per employee and/or those who run the business may be subject to criminal prosecution. In addition, they may be ‘named and shamed’ on the publicly available list of entities which have received a civil penalty.

UK Border Agency

As these entities may also have their Sponsor Licence withdrawn, the potential for damage to reputation for any entity which finds itself on that list is significant.

Employee Vetting/HR Training and Advice

Any entity found to be employing a migrant worker illegally may have a defence if they can show that it carried out appropriate checks of the employee's status document in the manner specified by the UK Border Agency.

Employers should ensure that their HR function is trained to conduct the appropriate checks.

Gherson’s Services

Gherson offers a complete package of assistance, advice and training to UK businesses in relation to all the above requirements.

Points Based System

Please see our articles and newsletter for further details.